Hebrews 7, verse 19. For the
law made nothing perfect. It demanded perfection. It required
perfection because it was God's law. And it cursed if it didn't
receive perfection, but it could do nothing to give it, only demand
it. But the bringing in of a better
hope did. By the which we draw nigh unto
God. and inasmuch as not without an
oath he was made priest. For those priests, the earthly
priests, were made without an oath, but this with an oath by
him that said unto him, This is God speaking of his Son. The
Lord swear and will not repent, thou art a priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better covenant. And they truly were many priests,
because they were not suffered or allowed to continue by reason
of death. Oh, but this man, but this man,
now that's a different story. This man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore, in light of that,
that he continueth forever, wherefore he is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became
us, who is holy and harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens, who needeth not daily as those
high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins, and then
for the peoples. For this he did once when he
offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmities, but the word of the oath which was since
the law maketh the son who is consecrated forevermore." I'm
sure you've noticed in reading throughout the book of Hebrews,
beginning in chapter one, a recurrent word and a key to understanding
the book of Hebrews is the word better. You have that over and
over again. There's another word that recurs
over and over again. Both these words we had in the
few verses that we read just now, and that's the word wants.
And every time it refers, those words both refer to the Lord
Jesus Christ. In chapter 1, the writer says,
He's better than the angels. Because to whom, or rather, to
which of the angels did God ever say, in referring to angels,
set thou at my right hand? And the answer is none. He said
those words to Christ. He's better than Moses. He's
better than Aaron. His priesthood is superior. The
covenant of grace is superior to the covenant of works. His
sacrifice is superior. He entered in one time and did
what all those animal sacrifices, every one of them, were only
a picture of. were only a type of. Paul tells
us, or the writer of this epistle tells us, the blood of goats
and bullocks could never take away sin. But this man we read,
when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, one time, When
it's Jesus' sacrifice, once is enough, because He, one time,
got the job done. He accomplished eternal redemption
for us. Therefore, Christ is better because
He's the best. It doesn't get any better than
that. Salvation to the uttermost, against
the back Against this backdrop, rather, that is the blackness
of my sin, oh, how His grace shines forth. The old hymn writer
Joseph Hart wrote an old hymn, and a part of it went like this.
He said, What comfort can a Savior bring to those who never felt
their woe? And the answer, of course, is
none. None. A sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost hath made him
so. For real sinners, real sinners,
those that have no strength, as we read in Isaiah 40, Those
who cannot save themselves, those who cry out, O wretched man that
I am, those whose hearts cry is, How can I be just with God? O that I might have peace with
God! Grace shines forth to such needy
sinners as that with these words He is able to save to the uttermost. What comfort that is! Oh, this
is a light indeed in a dark place. It's also an encouragement not
only to ourselves, but our loved ones, all our own flesh and flesh
and bone of our bones, our children, our brothers, our sisters, all
our loved ones who are as indifferent and unconcerned as they could
possibly be. Yet in the light of this, we
have hope because he's able to save unto the uttermost. And I'm sure you'll agree with
me when I say I need a Savior that is able, don't you? I need
a Savior that doesn't attempt something. That sounds awful
human, doesn't it? I mean, just a mere attempt at
something? There requires no grace. There
requires no miracle. There requires no exertion of
God's mighty power. Not just a mere attempt. Oh,
but it says He doesn't attempt to save. It says He saves. He saves to the uttermost. He doesn't offer to save, but
He actually saves. Notice again verse 26. for such
a high priest became us, that is, was suited to us, was necessary
for us. You see, a complete sinner, a
complete sinner, a sinner without reservation, not a good sinner,
no such critter, not no such bad sinner, Oh, but a helpless,
needy sinner. That's what I mean by a complete
sinner. A sinner that can't help themselves. Or such a sinner as that needs
a great Savior. I need a Savior that by God's
grace is made unto me wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. I need the righteousness of Christ
imputed to me, and I need the righteousness of Christ imparted
to me. I need grace that abounds where
sin did much more abound. I need, as Paul said in Romans
5, reigning grace. I need grace that conquers my
sin. I need grace that reaches deeper
than the stain is gone. I need grace that can not only
pardon, but it can cleanse within. I need grace that will not allow
sin to have dominion over me. Oh, don't you? The less of a
sinner we are, the less of a Savior we need. And so we see it all
around us today in this religious age. We don't need much help
if we can in any wise, any way, in this matter of salvation,
help ourselves. Oh, but the fact is, helpless
sinners need a mighty Savior. If I'm dead, If I'm dead, and
the Bible says we're dead in trespasses and sins, you have
He quickened. He's made alive. He who is the
resurrection and the life gives life to us. Because I live, He
told the disciples, ye shall live also. The hour is coming. Oh, thank God that the hour came,
that the hour of love came when He came to where you and I were.
dead in trespasses and sin, unable to raise ourself. And he said,
live. He said the hour is coming when
those who are in the grave shall hear the voice of who? The preacher? The soul winner? The Pope? The
priest? No, they'll hear the voice of
the Son of God. That same voice who in the beginning
said, let there be light. That same voice who stood before
the tomb of Lazarus and said, Lazarus, come forth. That same
powerful voice, that life-giving voice must come to dead sinners
and give them light. And bless God, He does. Oh, He's
able to save to the uttermost. Because I live, you shall live
also. The same life. The same life
within the Son of God is the same life that flows through
the veins of His seed. The same life as the vine is
to the branch. All dead sinners, helpless, hopeless. They need a great Savior. Oh,
great sinners, great sinners need great Savior. Oh, those
who can stand and say, Lord, I thank you that I'm not like
other men. They're not great sinners. No,
they've never been made aware of their need. They've never
been stripped. They've never stood naked without
reservation before a holy God, but for such sinners as those
that God has been pleased to come to and strip them. Oh, He does so that He might
clothe them. He brings them down that He might
lift them up. He makes them by grace. He compels
them by sweet grace to cry, I have sinned, so He can declare, I'll
put away your sin. Oh, great sinners need a great
Savior. In what sense? Someone asked
me that not long ago. In every sense. To what degree
are we saved? To the uttermost. For how long? From now to eternity. Oh, disgrace, old Newton said,
that's brought me safe thus far. That's exactly so. Brothers and
sisters, do you not feel in your heart if God would would withhold
His grace from you one moment, you would turn away and walk
from Him. As He said to those multitudes
that turned from Him and walked away, He asked His disciples,
do you want to go too? Do you want to go with Him? And
you remember what Peter said, Oh, bless God for grace that
enables you and I to say the same thing. Lord, Where else
are we going to go? We've got nowhere else to go. You alone have the words of eternal
life. Oh, if ever it should come to
pass that sheep of Christ should fall away, and I'm being honest
with you now, my fickle, feeble soul at last would fall 10,000
times a day. Thank God it's grace that's brought
me safe thus far. right up to this very moment.
And it's that same grace that shall lead me home. Thank God
for salvation to the uttermost. Look again, if you will, back
at verse 24 of Hebrews 7. We're told, but this man, in
light of those earthly priests who lived and died, oh, but this
man, because he continueth ever, this man, This man, who is he? Why does he make the difference? Who is this man? Oh, he's the
only mediator. There's only one mediator between
God and me. There's only one. There's only
one that can bring God and me together. There's only one that
can reconcile me and a holy God. And it's not the Pope, and it's
not the priest, and it's not the Baptist. It's Jesus Christ,
the God-man. The only true priest is He that
effectually put away my sin. Look again at verse 27, "...who
needeth not daily." That is this man. as those high priests to
offer up sacrifice first for his own sins, and then for the
people's. For this he did once." There's
that word again. Once, when he offered up himself. All concerning offering up himself,
once is enough. Because once got the job done. Once was satisfactory to God. Once was acceptable to God. One
sacrifice for sins forever. By His one offering, He forever
put away all the sins of all His people. Thank God. This is the basis of our hope.
This is the source of all of our comfort. This is what God's
told the prophet to speak words of comfort concerning to his
people. Their warfare is accomplished. Their pardon is realized. Their
sins have been put away. Look, if you will, in chapter
9 of Hebrews at verse 24. Along this same line of thought,
the writer says in verse 24 of Hebrews 9, For Christ has not
entered into the holy places made with hands, that is, the
earthly tabernacle, which are the figures of the true, but
into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. for us, and nor yet that he should
offer himself often as the high priest enters into the holy place
every year with the blood of others. For them must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once,"
there's the word again, now once, in the end of the world, have
he appeared to put away sin, Oh, I like the matter of fatness
of how God word reads, don't you? It doesn't leave any loopholes. There's no uncertainty about
this transaction. He appeared in the end of the
world wants to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Chapter 10. Or rather, yeah,
chapter 10, verse 12. Again, but this man, oh, but
this man, after he offered one sacrifice for sins forever, forever,
it sounds like his mission was accomplished. He said, I came
to give my life a ransom for many. And he sat down. He did
something that the earthly priest could never do. There was no
provision, no chair in that holy place for that priest to sit
down because his work was never done. He would go out, but next
year he would enter into again, realizing that his work was never
done. Oh, but this man, The God-man,
when he cried it is finished, we're told that God had brought
him to glory and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places and gave him a name, Paul said. In Philippians 2, a name
above every name, this man sat down at the right hand of God
from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. First notice carefully again
how verse 25, our text reads, Wherefore he is able, wherefore,
able to save unto the uttermost all those that come unto God
by him, seeing he ever liveth, to make intercession for them. He ever liveth. He's not the
God of the dead, he said, but the God of the living. Because
I live, you shall live also. The life that I live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Son of God, Paul said, who loved
me and gave himself for me. A dead Christ doesn't save anybody. Christ left on the cross doesn't
save anybody. It's an exalted, high and lifted
up Christ that saves sinners from their sins. He's able to
save to the uttermost because He's not yet on the cross. He
ever liveth. Turn it back in your Bibles to
1 Corinthians chapter 15. This is exactly what Paul says. He says, if Christ be not risen,
then our faith's vain. We're trusting a dead Savior.
A dead Savior can't redeem. A dead Savior can't save to the
uttermost. Oh, but now, Paul says, Christ
is risen. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 16. For if the dead rise not, then
is not Christ raised? And if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain. It's empty. It's useless is the
word. And ye are yet in your sins,
yet in my sins. Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Oh, but
look at these sweet words. Oh, but. But all that is not
so. But now is Christ risen. Now is Christ risen from the
dead. Now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the
dead. For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be
made whole. alive. Oh, but now is Christ
risen. Now, at this very moment, Christ
sits on the throne of omnipotent grace and glory. He sits at his
Father's right hand and his virtue and his value and his ability
and power and merit are just as effectual right now as it
was that day He rose from the grave, just as real, just as
powerful, just as complete, just as acceptable before a holy God,
the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, the hymn writer said, shall
never lose its power. Thank God shall never lose its
power. Oh, dear dying land, thy precious
blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed church
of God be saved, what, to the uttermost. Be saved to sin no
more from the power of sin, from the penalty of sin, and bless
God one day from the very presence of sin. And I don't mean things
out here. I mean in here, the root of the
problem, Louie. is healed. Oh, no sin whatsoever. Oh, we learn only a living, a
life-giving Savior can save to the uttermost. Not the historical
Jesus left in history in a manger and on a cross. Not just a mere
example of morality. Oh, no. But this same Jesus who
told John on the Isle of Patmos, I'm he that liveth and was dead,
but behold, John, I'm alive forevermore and have the keys of death and
of hell, therefore able to save to the uttermost. As much as
I need saving. The psalmist said, out of the
depths, have I cried unto thee, O my God? And he heard my prayer. What a wonder! In this religious
generation, everybody thinks God's indebted to them. Preachers
tell sinners all the time, God's obligated, God's obligated to
save you. God wants to save you if you
only allow Him to do so. Oh, but when God strips a sinner
and he realizes he has a debt to pay, he has a debt to God's
holy law, but he has nothing by which to pay it. Oh, how blessed
he is when mercy smiles upon him. Like that woman in Luke
7, Simon, you see this woman, she's got nothing to pay. And I, frankly, the word is freely. freely, without any cost to her,
freely, forgive her all sins. Oh, it's upon this rock, upon
this rock, which he builds his church. And for that reason alone,
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. They would have to
prevail against Him first. They would have to bring down
my elder brother first to get to me. And bless God, that can't
happen. On Christ's solid rock, I stand. In Him alone, in Him alone, our
mercy and truth met together. In Him alone, Do righteousness
and peace kiss one another? Righteous and peace, justice
and mercy. How can I be just with God? How can I be just with God? But more importantly, how can
God be just in justifying me? Old Scott said, God must do something
for himself. How can God justify a sinner
without any impeachment of his holy law or holy nature? How can God do such a thing?
Does not His law have to be satisfied? Oh, in the salvation of a sinner,
God doesn't set aside His law. His law is not set aside. Oh,
no, no, no. Nothing could be further from
the truth. But Jesus Christ satisfied God's law. That's why in Him,
after cross, after cross, and there alone does justice and
mercy walk hand in hand, not at variance, not in disagreement,
but in perfect harmony. The psalmist said, kiss one another. Now God Almighty, in the light
of the work, the living and the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ,
is just when He justifies a sinner. John said, if we confess our
sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. Justice is no longer an argument
why a holy God cannot forgive my sin. It's an argument why
He should, in the light that Jesus Christ, by His death, put
away my sins. It would be wrong for God not
to forgive His people. Oh, bless God, and He does. All of His people, from all of
their sins, John said the Word was made flesh. and dwelt among
us." John 1 and 14. And he said, we beheld His glory. His glory. The glory as the only
begotten of the Father. Full of grace. Don't you like
those words? Full of grace. Oh, I'm so empty. Oh, but He's so full. I'm so
full of sin. Oh, but He's so full of grace.
It's not my demerit, but His merit that reconciles me to God. It's not my sin, oh, but His
virtue that reconciles me to God, that brings me near to a
holy God. I who once was a far off, are
made nigh, nigh, half by the blood." Oh, God said, when I
see the blood, I see the blood. I'm not looking for anything
from you. I'm not looking for anything
from you. I look to my Son. He is the one
in whom I am well pleased. And I'm well pleased with everybody
that's in my Son, accepted. Oh, full of grace and truth,
ever flowing, ever flowing to supply His people, His people
with all the grace that they'll ever need. Imagine that, all
the grace that they require. to keep them, to preserve them,
to bring them the glory, all the grace that they'll ever need.
All of His people, that multitude that none can number, we're told
He's full of that grace. Turn, if you will, to Psalm 84.
Psalm 84. Is God's grace sufficient? Thank
God it is. Thank God it is. Your evidence
that it is. It's God's grace that called
you and God's grace that keeps you. God's grace in the person
of His dear Son that saves to the uttermost. Will God's grace keep us? Psalm
84 verse 7. They that are the people of God. They go from strength to strength. Every one of them. Every one
of them. Father, I give them eternal life
and they'll never perish. Father, I and the children that
you've given me, I've lost none. Not one. Every one of them. Every one of them. without exception,
every one that the Father gave him, every one that he shed his
blood for, every one that he truly and actually and completely
redeemed, every one of them in Zion appeareth where? Before
God. Verse 11, for the Lord God is
a sun and a shield. The Lord will give grace. Oh,
thank God. He giveth and He giveth and He
giveth more grace. The Lord will give grace and
glory. No good thing will He withhold
from them that walk uprightly. The God of all grace, grace to
call me, grace to keep me, grace that brings me the glory, All
the grace that I'll ever need, I have in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Grace is Christ Himself. He is
grace personified, is He not? Oh, He is the God of all grace,
and therefore, He's able to save unto the uttermost. The uttermost. Oh, I've just pitched tent there.
Such a good word. The uttermost. That means that
my sins, as great as they are, are not as great as the grace
of His which is uttermost. Uttermost grace for my uttermost
sins. Thank God for such grace. Oh, if it's well with Him. If
it's well with him, how goes it? Not with me, but how goes
it with the captain? How goes it with the captain
of my salvation? Is it well with him? Is everything
well with him? Then it's well with me. Thank
God for him. I must come to Him, our text
says, all that come unto God by Him. You see, salvation is
in a person. Salvation is in Him. Without
Him, I'm lost. Salvation's not in a creed. It's
not in memorizing scripture. It's not in being religious.
It's not in a building, a Baptist church or a Catholic church.
But salvation is in a person. Paul said in that dungeon, and
he said, Timothy, I know whom I have believed. And knowing
whom I have believed, I'm convinced, I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against. that day. Turn back, if you will, in the
book of Hebrews, the chapter 4. Oh, you have this sweet promise,
this sweet exhortation. Verse 14 of Hebrews 4, seeing
them, seeing them, that we have a great high priest right now. right now that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the filling of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace. a throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I am constrained to be. And secondly, we learn that salvation
is not a one-time isolated act. Oh no, it involves calling, it
involves spiritual resurrection, it involves perseverance, it
involves being kept, it involves being brought to glory. This
is salvation to the uttermost. It involves God's purpose to
save, but that's not all. Chosen in His Son, before the
foundation of the world, but that's not all chosen unto salvation. It involves God's son's purchase
of his people. It involves him entering one
time into the holy place and doing what? Oh, behold him. Behold your high priest obtaining
eternal redemption for us. Behold him. Mission accomplished. Salvation obtained. Sin put away. forever. Oh, it involves the
Holy Spirit's powerful work of spiritual resurrection in calling
us from death to life. Salvation is all this and more. We must be kept. We must be kept. Turn, if you will, to 1 Peter,
1 Peter chapter 1. We must be kept, and that same
grace that calls us, or having begun in the Spirit, we're never
made perfect by the flesh. Oh, that same grace that calls
us must keep us. 1 Peter 1, verse 3. Peter said, Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His
abundant mercy. had begotten us again into a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you." Our Lord said, Rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven. Oh, but in the meantime,
in the meantime, such trials, such difficulty, such indwelling
sin. Oh, what about in the meantime?
Oh, verse 5 answers that. who are kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last
time." Oh, more, more than this, we must be brought home, all
the way home. And Paul said he's able to keep
you, oh, he's able that keep you all the way home. Turn if you will to Jude chapter
24 as we wrap this up. You know where I'm going to read.
I'm sorry. Jude verse 24. Oh, we read in
our text of a Savior who's able to save to the uttermost. Now we read of that same Savior
with that same prevailing, conquering grace able to keep us. Verse
24, Now unto Him that is able, that's able to keep you from
falling. That's my Savior. I think Jude's talking about
Him. To whom else could it be said He's able to keep this sinner
from falling? All but more than that. In addition
to that, He says, and He's able to present you faultless. Imagine
that, imagine that faultless before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior,
be glory and majesty and dominion and power both now and forever. Turn, if you will, in Revelation
over to chapter 14. We see the fulfillment of this.
John saw those 144,000 representative of all God's elect. John hears
them singing the song of praise before the throne of God. And
look what we're told concerning them in verse 4 of Revelation
14. These are they which were not defiled with women, for they
are virgins. These are they which follow the
Lamb, whethersoever he goeth. wherever He goes. Where I am,
that's where you will be also. These were redeemed from among
men. Now I have to repeat, not with
all men. All men were not redeemed. If
so, He's a failure. Oh no, these are before the throne
because they were redeemed from among men. being the first roots
unto God and to the land. And in their mouth was found
no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God."
Oh, what a Savior! As I said earlier, little sinners
only need a little Savior, a little saving. All but helpless, dead,
dog-centered, they need a great Savior. And here's the good news,
we serve a great Savior. When He appeared to Mary, telling
her that she should have a son, and called His name Jesus, the
angel said, He shall be great. Paul, writing to Titus, said,
looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior, who is He? Jesus Christ. Look with me, if you will, to
1 John chapter 5 as we wrap this up. 1 John chapter 5. Oh, here is good news, is it
not? 1 John chapter 5, verse 11. John
says, well, let's read verse 10. 1 John 5 and 10. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his
Son. He that hath the Son hath life. Oh, he that hath the Son hath
everything. Now listen, take this with you.
He that hath the Son hath everything that God Almighty requires. He that has the Son has everything
acceptable before a holy God. He that has the Son has an acceptance
just as sure and just as certain, just as complete as Jesus Christ
Himself. He that had the Son. Oh, bless
God, I have the Son. I have the Son. And he that have
the Son, God tells me, have life. And he that have not the Son,
no matter what else he may have, he that have not the Son of God,
have not life. Oh, but he that have the Son,
He has life, the very life of God that shall never end. And thank God we serve such a
Savior, such one that is mighty to save and is able to save. Listen, where are we Pilgrim?
Tried believer, he's able to save unto the uttermost all that
come unto God. Oh, we first experienced His
grace when He by grace brought us to Himself. We came to Him. And that's always what we continue
to do. Just keep coming. Just keep coming
to Him that first spoke peace to our hearts and find the sufficiency
of His grace realized in your own experience. God bless you. Thank you for your attention.
Delilah, will you come to the piano? And we'll close our service
this morning by singing the hymn on page 125.